PETROLEUM AND MINERAL RESOURCES COMMISSIONER, ANAMBRA STATE INAUGURATES A SEVEN MAN COMMITTEE WITH A MANDATE TO DEVELOP A FOUR YEAR WORKING ACTION PLAN FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE MINISTRY
PETROLEUM AND MINERAL RESOURCES COMMISSIONER, ANAMBRA STATE INAUGURATES A SEVEN-MAN COMMITTEE WITH A MANDATE TO DEVELOP A FOUR YEAR WORKING ACTION PLAN FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE MINISTRY
A Seven man Committee has been inaugurated by the Commissioner for Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Barrister Anthony Ikechukwu Ifeanya with a mandate to develop a four-year working action plan for the overall turnaround of the ministry within three weeks of its inauguration.
Inaugurating Members of the Committee in his office at Jerome Udoji Secretariat Awka which he said were drawn from the Petroleum and Energy Resources Sector with vast experience, charged Members of the Committee to leverage on the Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo’s campaign manifesto for Ndi – Anambra, Vision 2070 which is said that was chaired by Governor Soludo and the combined transition report chaired by a renowned Professor, Oby Ezekwesili to develop a favorable working action plan for the Ministry with a view to achieving the dream of Governor Soludo for the State anchored on developing a liveable and prosperous Anambra State.
The Commissioner, who said that the Committee is also charged with the responsibility of fashioning out a working action plan as a guide to the Ministry for a short medium-term plan of the Ministry for this year, maintained that time is of the essence, adding that the Committee is expected to submit its report to the Ministry in the end of this month.
He noted that he had before now, personally visited Delta State and interacted with the Commissioner for Oil and Gas of the State, and the Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources of River State on the workings of his Ministry as well as that of Awka- Ibom State, saying that he had gathered enough information to set up the structure and the organogram of the new Ministry.
While describing Members of the Committee as eminent gentlemen, the Commissioner identified them to include, Dr.Alex Obiogbolu, Chairman, Barrister Ezechukwuma Richard Secretary, Chief D.O.Ezeudu Member, Dr. Chris Offokansi Member, Dr. Emenike Ezinando Member, Tony Okwusa Member, and Engineer Ik Okafor also a Member, the Commissioner, said that they were assembled by the Ministry to help them come out with something very tangible for the Ministry, stressing that he was hungry and passionate to give the State a very good outing with a view to making a huge success out of the proposed working action plan so that Governor Soludo would know that his choice of him was not a wrong one.
Barrister Ifeanya, who noted that much is expected from Governor Soludo by Ndi- Anambra whom he said knows his worth and his level of intelligence, maintained that the working action plan would if come to fruition help the Ministry in actualizing the Governor Soludo’s dream of job creation, increase on State the internally generated revenue as well as wealth creation when they opened up the State Oil exploration.
In his acceptance speech, the Chairman of the Committee, Dr.Alex Obiogbolu, thanked the Commissioner for finding them worthy to serve the State, emphasizing that he was glad that the Committee was populated with the people that have not just vast knowledge in the Petroleum Sector,but in the administrative sector drawn from various government ministries and agencies.
He stated that the composition of Members of the Committee by the Commissioner gives him joy and confidence that they would be able to develop a functional working action plan for the ministry towards making the State to becoming the hub of industrialization in the Country in line with the dream of the present Government in the State.
On his part,a Member of the Committee, Dr.Chris Offokansi, frowned at the unlawful activities of the Sterling Oil Exploration Petroleum Company Limited and that of the Sterling Global Oil Resources Limited to their host Communities, Oguaniocha and Oguikpele respectively, affirming that the two Communities have not benefited anything from the two companies in the area as service providers
He added that the two companies in question have been exploring oil in the area for more than fifteen years today, yet nothing to show in their host communities, calling on the Anambra State Government to mount pressure on the Companies so that they would intimate a development plan for the two Communities through trust funds as their social responsibility.
By Obiorah Anthony.
